In Session » Hickory Hollow Mallhttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics
Tennessee PoliticsMon, 07 Apr 2014 14:51:50 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6Karl Dean takes another run at Hickory Hollow. Relax, flea market fans.http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2011/karl-dean-takes-another-run-at-hickory-hollow-relax-flea-market-fans/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2011/karl-dean-takes-another-run-at-hickory-hollow-relax-flea-market-fans/#commentsThu, 14 Apr 2011 22:57:15 +0000Michael Casshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/?p=13804Mayor Karl Dean’s administration has made a $3.25 million offer for the old J.C. Penney building and the 12.31-acre site it sits on at Hickory Hollow Mall in Antioch. Metro would put a library and a community center in the building and a small park outside it.

Last September, Dean proposed putting those services and Metro’s archives at the Penney building. At the same time, he said Metro should move the Tennessee State Fairgrounds flea market and expo center to the former Dillard’s building at Hickory Hollow.

The latter idea fell apart under criticism from flea market vendors and others, and Dean withdrew the whole plan in a setback to his fairgrounds redevelopment vision. But now the Penney plans seem to be back, minus the archives, which historians didn’t want to move that far from downtown. The mayor and council members have said Antioch and southeast Davidson County desperately need more government services to keep pace with the area’s rapid growth.

Meanwhile, Tennessean higher education scribe Jennifer Brooks reports that a Tennessee Board of Regents spokeswoman confirmed the board is in “active discussions” to buy the Dillard’s building for a satellite campus for Nashville State Community College.

Could the Tennessee State Fairgrounds flea market and expo center be relocated without taking them to a suburban mall a dozen miles away from downtown? After getting an email from a constituent, Vice Mayor Diane Neighbors has been thinking about an interesting potential home for those activities if Mayor Karl Dean manages to redevelop the fairgrounds.

When and if the Nashville Sounds get a new stadium, Greer Stadium could be renovated to accommodate the expo center and flea market, Neighbors said. Greer is on Chestnut Street south of downtown, less than two miles from the fairgrounds.

“It could potentially be a vacant piece of property,” the vice mayor said. “It’s an interesting thing to think about.”

The Sounds have wanted for years to get out of Greer and into a new ballpark. A deal put together by former Mayor Bill Purcell’s administration fell through as the Sounds and a development partner squabbled in 2007, and the AAA baseball team continued to play at Greer, which is now 32 years old.

Dean has said the city will “need to do something about baseball” if he’s elected to a second term next August.

Neighbors said Municipal Auditorium is another possibility for some of the expo shows now held at the fairgrounds, based on the available parking nearby, though some show organizers have said that’s not a good option for them.

“Everybody has ideas about if we had an Amazon waiting in the wings and said we have to have the fairground property, then where would we move things?” Neighbors said, referring to talks between Amazon.com and Hamilton and Bradley counties, where the giant online retailer might put two distribution centers. “I think there’s a lot of interesting ideas floating around out there.”

She said she had not talked to Dean or his aides about the ideas yet.

“These were all just what-if conversations. … I’m sure we’ll know more about all of these things come 2011.”

Dean proposed moving the flea market and expo center to Hickory Hollow Mall in Antioch but retreated after the idea took a beating at a surprise public hearing held by the Metro Council four weeks ago. He then said the city needs to think about whether it “should be in the flea market business.”

Instead of charging $4 per vehicle for parking on Saturdays and Sundays – Fridays have been free – the city would charge $4 per person for admission to help cover the flea market’s costs, though that might not apply on some days, Dozier said. Parking would be free.

“The admission would be in lieu of parking revenue,” Dozier said.

Discounts would apply for some children and seniors, and some could be admitted for free. Dozier said it wouldn’t be feasible to charge for parking at the mall.

]]>http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/flea-market-would-charge-for-admission-at-hickory-hollow-mall/feed/2Dean team says folks will come around on wisdom of flea market movehttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/dean-team-says-folks-will-come-around-on-wisdom-of-flea-market-move/
http://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/2010/dean-team-says-folks-will-come-around-on-wisdom-of-flea-market-move/#commentsThu, 16 Sep 2010 14:47:33 +0000Michael Casshttp://blogs.tennessean.com/politics/?p=11974Part of my story about the controversy over moving the fairgrounds flea market and expo center to Hickory Hollow Mall got left on the cutting-room floor and didn’t get into today’s paper. Here it is:

(Metro Finance Director Rich) Riebeling said he expects most people will ultimately come to see Hickory Hollow as the right place for the flea market and expo center.

“People are used to it being one way,” he said. “I can understand why change is going to create some issues. It’ll be our job to work with everybody to keep it going. I’m pretty confident they’re going to see this as a pretty good solution in the long term.”